St. John’s commanding lead in the Big East championship game Sunday had evaporated. Ryan McCormick, less than 48 hours removed from a complete-game, two-hitter, took his glove and ran out to the bullpen.

He didn’t consult coach Ed Blankmeyer or pitching coach Corey Muscara because he knew what their answer would have been if he asked to warm up for a potential save opportunity.

Earlier, they turned down his request. But, in the ninth inning and a new lead in danger with Creighton threatening, Blankmeyer begrudgingly called upon the junior, and McCormick nailed down the save, sending the Johnnies to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012.

“The kid insisted, ‘I want the ball,’ ” Blankmeyer said. “I never want to hurt a young man’s career — I never will do that — but it’s also refreshing when a kid puts the team ahead of himself. That’s the type of kid he is. He put the team ahead of, potentially, his own career.”

This was just the latest example of how valuable McCormick has been to St. John’s.

Building on a solid — though not good enough in his eyes — sophomore year, McCormick emerged as one of the top hurlers in the northeast, the Big East Pitcher of the Year. Getting better as the weather warmed, the hard-throwing right-hander from Massapequa went 10-1 with a 2.81 ERA, tossed two complete games and allowed just a single home run in 86 ¹/₃ innings.

“Last year, I tried to just last, and now I’m going out there, whoever I face, I’m going to go at them and I’m going to beat them,” said McCormick, a Collegiate Baseball Newspaper second team All-American armed with a fastball in the low 90’s, a quality breaking ball and improved changeup.

McCormick will get the ball Saturday — Blankmeyer is going with junior Cody Stashak to save his best arm in the opener against top-seeded Oklahoma State — and could have the opportunity to pitch No. 4 St. John’s into the Stillwater Regional final if all goes well Friday.

No matter the opponent, No. 2 Arkansas or No. 3 Oral Roberts, McCormick should give the Red Storm an edge.

“Not only from a coaching staff’s standpoint, but for our team to have Mac on the mound, it gives us confidence that we’re going to win,” Blankmeyer said of McCormick, who is expected to be taken in the top half of the upcoming MLB First-Year Player Draft.

McCormick set several goals for himself over the winter: Become Big East Pitcher of the Year, win a Big East regular-season and conference championship, and make the College World Series. He’s reached the first three. No. 4 is a long shot — the Johnnies haven’t reached Omaha since 1980. McCormick remembers the 2012 run, then a senior in high school, and following St. John’s run into the Super Regionals, when it fell two wins short of Omaha. He can’t wait to be a part of the fun this weekend.

“We’re going to come out guns blazing, go after guys,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who we play.”

As evidenced by his gutsy performance in the Big East Tournament, McCormick will do whatever it takes to keep this run going.